Poultry disease outbreak management

It may have been a few years since there was an avian influenza (AI) outbreak in Canada, but it certainly may happen again. Serious outbreaks of other diseases like infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) are a constant threat as well.

At the same time, provincial and federal poultry organizations have made progress in improving their response to potential outbreaks. Canadian Poultry checked in with four provinces to see how far things have come and what’s coming next.

Quebec
In Quebec, after a cluster of ILT cases in 2018 and two in early 2019, the industry has put numerous changes in place. However, Martin Pelletier, co-ordinator of Équipe québécoise de contrôle des maladies avicoles (EQCMA), the provincial organization responsible for controlling poultry disease, points out, “We have been coordinating a response to ILT and Mycoplasma gallisepticum since 2010, working closely with the veterinarians on the technical health committee, and we have reviewed response protocols many times.”

The newest updates apply to any outbreak but focus on ILT. (And, like every other poultry organization in Canada and beyond, EQCMA keeps an eye on cases of AI around the globe, which has never appeared in Quebec, as well as Newcastle disease, M. synoviae and others.)

EQCMA has updated the enhanced biosecurity protocols required during outbreaks, and modified risk zone parameters (the zone established by EQCMA during an outbreak). “It used to be 1.5 km around a farm and we would enlarge the zone as an outbreak went on,” Pelletier explains, “but making it larger from the start means we can hopefully really get ahead of an outbreak.”

In addition, broiler producers operating in the risk zone must vaccinate their birds against ILT (this vaccination is standard for layers and the disease doesn’t affect turkeys). EQCMA has clarified the type of vaccination and updated the associated protocols, which it then disseminated to all veterinarians.

One other change has to do with farmers who own another poultry operation outside the risk zone. If this second operation is fairly close, the zone might be extended to include it. If it’s far away, however, producers much follow enhanced biosecurity protocols for that site.

In addition, because ILT usually appears very late in the broiler flock cycles – sometimes just days before processing – flocks at risk for disease and ready for processing are channeled to the same processor where other at-risk flocks have gone.

EQCMA has also updated producer protocols for manure handling. Now, manure at any infected or at-risk farm must be kept on that farm for a given period.

Ontario
The Feather Board Command Centre (FBCC) was founded three years ago to centralize the emergency response capabilities of the chicken, egg, turkey and hatchery sectors in Ontario. It released an updated emergency management plan last year, incorporating full analysis from past AI outbreaks.

“In mid-2019, we tested the plan during a three-day simulation of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak, in collaboration with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAFRA),” says FBCC manager Tom Baker. “Some 50 staff from the four boards operating out of OMAFRA’s emergency operations centre (EOC) demonstrated their ability to apply the incident command system (ICS) and effectively deploy new response tools and protocols. It went very well.”

In terms of other changes to disease outbreak response in Ontario, Baker first notes that recent changes to federal Health of Animals Regulations provides CFIA added power to enable more effective prevention of disease spread. “It gives CFIA staff appropriate authority to rapidly establish AI control zones and the ability to make other decisions more quickly,” Baker explains, “making response more efficient.”

Working with CFIA, FBCC now has the ability to provide producers with a high-mortality advisory (including a biosecurity advisory area) in a situation where a lot of birds have died but the cause of mortality has not been determined. This means use of biosecurity protocols is heightened, farms self-quarantine and more, which helps contain disease if the cause of death is in fact a disease.

CFIA remains responsible for declaring a farm to be officially infected and quarantining all poultry operations within a risk zone. But, FBCC has stepped up related communications capacity with farmers in the case of an outbreak.

“Since the 2015 HPAI outbreak in Oxford County, we’ve developed the protocol of daily teleconferences with affected farmers but one-on-one contact is better for dealing with specific concerns,” Baker reported. “We now have case officers from the field staff of the four feather boards who will lead this, as well as help with movement license applications, biosecurity and health monitoring.”

CFIA grants these movement licences for poultry service providers to move product or supplies in or out of control zones during an outbreak. Baker notes that in Ontario, where the concentration of poultry farms is quite high in the southern part of the province, there can be more than 60 poultry farms within a 10-km radius and a large amount of corresponding service provider traffic.

FBCC has started producing monthly AI global outbreak summaries for producers. Looking ahead, FBCC and its boards are examining governance models where its outbreak response and recovery efforts are integrated more closely with other members of the poultry industry, such as processors and suppliers.

British Columbia
After the 2004 HPAI outbreaks, the entire poultry industry undertook a full outbreak risk assessment. It then developed a four-point risk mitigation strategy, including mandatory biosecurity, enhanced surveillance, a rigorous emergency management plan and a financial risk management plan.

At this point, B.C. Chicken Marketing Board chair Harvey Sasaki says, “The B.C. industry is proud of its emergency response plan and system. It has been extremely effective in stopping movements, which can lead to [disease] spread.” He adds that the province’s industry has an ICS and works well with CFIA.

Alberta
Over the last few years, Alberta’s four poultry boards have implemented a number of changes in collaboration with preparedness expert Kim Irving, owner of the consulting firm Risk Ready.

They updated their emergency response plan and developed both a crisis communications plan and a personal protective equipment plan. The boards also updated enhanced biosecurity protocols about 18 months ago, providing an information package to each producer. What’s more, they created a virtual EOC, which is a platform where individuals can assume their emergency roles from anywhere they have internet access.

Last year, they conducted three simulation exercises to test their outbreak readiness. They will hold four more will be held this year to take things to a higher level. “The exercises this year will be more complex now that everyone’s skillsets have grown, for example in using the virtual EOC,” Irving explains.

“The exercises will be progressive in nature. In April, we will have one focused on the top emergency leadership and another where a wider group of people will practice in their roles. Sometime in the fall, we will hold another two with more variables added, such as handling simulated media inquiries.” The last of these two exercises will be a full-scale simulation that involves one or two farms and lasts five to six hours.

These exercises are critical, in Irving’s view. Emergency plans for any organization are only effective if the actual people involved have practiced the skills and steps they will have to take in a real situation. “I would recommend two smaller-level simulations need to happen every year, and a full-scale one every two years,” he says. “Another part of maintenance is the need to make sure every piece of contact information is accurate. If people can’t be reached during an emergency, that’s going to impede emergency management.”